I liked Daisy Jones & the Six, but I think Malibu Rising might be a little bit better. It’s very readable, meaning that I raced through it, and the 80s setting is really fun, allowing the mentions of retro clothes, music, and films to add colour. The novel flicks back and forth between the present day of a Saturday in 1983 when the Riva siblings are throwing a party, and returning to the past of the siblings’ and their parents’ origin stories. The characters are mostly incredibly well fleshed out, with even inconsequential characters having little side stories (like Seth and Eliza failing to find love with one another at the party) within the narrative, but I did find Jay a little bit flat compared to his Riva siblings, and for me that made him the least likeable. I also didn’t need the fire as a dramatic ending that was teased throughout, as the events of the book were enough drama for me and so it felt tacked on. All of that said, Malibu Rising was a great read!

It’s August 1983, location is Cliffside Drive and the home of Nina Riva. This is the story of the twenty four hours up to and after the annual party thrown by Nina, attended by her siblings Jay, Hud and Kit and anyone who is anyone in this neck of the woods. They are the offspring of singer and serial philanderer Mick Riva has has been conspicuous by his absence for most of their lives leaving their mother June to raise them until her death when Nina is nearly eighteen. By midnight the party is definitely humming and getting lively, by 2am they’re swinging from the chandeliers and by early morning the house is on fire but out of the destructive ashes there is renewal. The story is told in multiple timelines from 1968 to 1983, charting their childhood but mostly focusing on THAT day and night.

This is a very well written and immersive read from an author who is a really good storyteller. It’s extremely easy to read with the plot building and rising to a crescendo like Malibu waves. The characterisation is very strong especially of the Rivas but in particular Nina who is the essential lynchpin and the glue of the family. You cannot help but admire the personal sacrifices and the toll it takes on her keeping the family together after their mother’s death. During the course of the dramatic events of the party night Nina finally comes to life, is able to cast off the cloak of her responsibilities and be reborn. The family dynamics are fascinating and enjoyable, they’re very close and a unit but like many other siblings they have some fallouts. The impact of Mick’s absence on them all is huge but they’ve learned to live without him, he’s like a ghost to them. I really like how the surf of Malibu and the Californian coast becomes their obsession, their Malibu Rising is the soaring waves. Malibu helps Nina rise above the doldrums of the loss of their much loved mother, the way her life became as a consequence and is able to live the life she actually wants. I like the message of the book, the fire, the renewal and rising from the ashes to be the selves they want to be.

The party is totally over the top, there are so many undercurrents and it feels like a crazy Bacchanalian orgy which rises and rises until it’s an out of control tsunami. To an extent I think the terrible events of the party overshadows the essential point of the book, it detracts from it and part of this is caused by there being so many characters present it gets a bit bewildering. It gets a bit scattergun towards the end too, not flowing as well as the previous three quarters or so.

However, I do overall enjoy the book and this is an author I’ll always want to read.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Hutchinson for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This review will be posted during the week before publication. The full review will be posted to my blog, but due to Instagram word limits, a slightly shortened version will be on my bookstagram.

Book Review | Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)

E-ARC received via NetGalley.

TW: alcoholism, drugs, death of parent

It's 1983 and the day of the annual Riva party has arrived. The Riva siblings, Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit, are known in their own right, but are also the children of the famous singer Mick Riva. Everyone wants to attend the infamous party, but this year will be the biggest yet. There will be drama to unfold, secrets to uncover, and the whole thing will end in flames.

This is the first novel I have read by Jenkins Reid, and I was blown away. The characters and story felt so real that I had to remind myself that it is a work of fiction. Jenkins Reid has a talent for crafting an unforgettable narrative, with characters that are flawed, loveable, and stay with you.

The characters are what I loved most about this novel. They were well-defined, and had a depth that made them feel like real people with real histories and emotions. I particularly loved the bond between the siblings, and the more we learned of their childhood, the more attached I grew to them. I cared particularly deeply for Nina, and her character arc was great to see.

The narrative is structured so that we read about the day of the party, whilst being given chapters about the past to show Mick and June Riva's relationship and the upbringing of the Riva children. This narrative was emotional and heartbreaking, and added so much to our understanding of the Rivas. I liked that the narrative takes place over the course of one day, with chapters from the past building our understanding and emotional attachment.

Themes that this novel explores really well include fame, loss and family. These are all woven perfectly into the narrative, and Jenkins Reid uses them to explore the hardships that the Riva family endures, as well as the strength that can arise from facing difficulties.

Overall, I loved this novel and found it hard to tear myself away from it. I highly recommend getting yourself a copy when Malibu Rising is released on 27th May, and I hope you're ready for the Riva party.

A story of fame, family, and the bond between siblings, Malibu Rising is must read for anyone who enjoys contemporary, character-driven narratives that explore the flaws and resilience of people.

This was an awesome read. A rocky romance. Flash backs which explain the current predicament. Family drama which all comes to a head. Well worth a read.

TJR has nailed the 80's Californian surfer vibe in her new novel Malibu Rising. You can practically feel the sun, salt and sand on your skin as the story jumps back and forth from the 1950's and 60's through to the early 80's. I was hooked for the first 2/3 of this one, but then it started to spiral into too many (sometimes irrelevant) directions - perhaps this was a purposeful mirror of the culmination of the increasingly out of control 'Party of the Year', but it detracted somewhat from the intriguing story of the Riva family.

Mick Riva (an A-list crooner that to me was presented as some kind of Mick Jagger/Frank Sinatra mashup) marries sweet young local girl June, starts a family, tries to be the man his own father never was, but soon the combination of fame and his unescapable, flawed nature take hold. The chapters detailing their romance, their marriage breakdown, and his endless affairs are Mad Men-esque with old school glamour and plenty of drinking. The 1980's chapters are peppered with real and fictional pop culture references, which is as amusing as it is interesting. As we watch the Riva kids grow up with an increasingly dysfunctional mother and absent father, their respective personalities start to emerge. Nina is the main focus here, as the eldest and most responsible child. She is a sympathetic character, though somewhat unbelievable - unassumingly gorgeous, capable, generous, selfless. And where exactly did 3/4 of the kids world-beating talent for surfing come from? They all almost seemed a bit too good to be true, on the whole, though this may have been them trying desperately to not turn into their parents. They're all likeable, for sure, but seem unnaturally grounded considering the fame and connections they end up with. Despite all this, I was entrenched in their story and genuinely cared about them as characters.

The ending is satisfying, if not a little predictable, and maybe a bit of an anti-climax. I actually thought fire was going to be more of a recurring theme, given the synopsis, but it only gets a handful of mentions. The more the party spirals out of control, the harder the story is to follow character-wise, with an absolute slew of new people introduced. Many of the new additions are not particularly necessary, except to be entertaining. And, ultimately, this book is hugely entertaining. Glamour with a side of tragedy, celebrity with a healthy dose of reality - this is what TJR does best, and Malibu Rising is no exception.

I absolutely adored Jenkins Reids last two books so had high expectations for this one.

Each chapter unveils the family and their secrets as each hour gets closer to the party. This flashback scenes are engrossing and as usual incredibly well written. Taylor is just the most phenomenal writer. Highly recommended.

Sadly not quite as gripping as Taylor Reid's previous novels, this was still an engaging story with a complex and intriguing family at its heart. I loved the narrative taking place over one day and then skipping back over the years to fill in the history of this family. However, once the story reached the party itself I found it unravelled somewhat. Otherwise it was an enjoyable and quick read.

I remember reading Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and feeling terribly disappointed by it. However, I thought that maybe I had grown up a bit as a reader and decided to give Taylor Jenkins Reid another shot. The number of eye-rolls and the boring, predictable story was a disaster that made me DNF the book at 67%. I tried to read and appreciate the story and the characters, but everything seemed too cliched to me.

Well...I was wondering how Taylor Jenkins Reid could follow up on a book like Daisy Jones and the Six and I now have my answer, you go out and write Malibu Rising of course! This book is as brilliant as it is different to Daisy Jones and the Six. What the author has an amazing talent for is writing characters and stories that really get under skin, that you become attached to and really care about. When I wasn’t reading this book I was thinking about reading it until I was cross with myself for finishing it. This book is really beautifully written without being sentimental whilst its story about love and family is really quite powerful.

Oh I loved this one so much, TJR has done it once again!! She never disappoints and just gets better and better each time she writes!
I loved the family dynamic and I was just emotional at parts and feeling so much love for these characters!!

I love books that have a past and present element and really enjoyed getting to see two sides to the family and growth of the family very much and just want to hug them all!!

Loved loved loved and can’t wait for everyone to be able to read Malibu rising.
4.5/5

I loved this book, if I wasn’t reading it I was wishing I was or I was thinking about it!

I loved the characters and the way in which it was written. The first few chapters were alternated between timelines where we learnt about previous characters and what happened to them which I really enjoyed. The build up to the party was fantastic and I loved the way the party went wild, I really felt like I was one of the crowd!

Another fantastic book by Taylor Jenkins Read. Definitely recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Riva siblings have always been close. Growing up with an absent father and a mother who grieved his abandonment meant they spent a lot of time raising themselves. The only thing they love more than each other is surfing. And possibly their one a year, huge celebrity party at eldest sibling Nina's house. Except this year the party will be different. This year it will be the last one the siblings spend together, and by the end of the night Malibu will be burning.

I always feel at ease with Taylor Jenkin Reid's writing. She can immediately set a perfect scene, in this case one of bronzed bodies, perfect waves and 80's fashion, while drawing me in with complicated characters. Each of the Riva siblings feels different with an important storyline of their own, yet they're also very much a unit with a history that runs deep. In particular I was drawn in by Nina's story and the sacrifices that shaped her life and personality. As the eldest she has a lot of weight in her shoulders, and every decision she makes is for the family first and foremost. I did think that a lot of the secondary characters felt a little one dimensional as we are really only introduced to most of them near the last third of the story at the party (except for Tagine. I loved Tagine), but I think this only threw the Riva's even more into the spotlight. I also think that Kit was given a disservice in her character arc, as her situation is only briefly explored with no real resolution. I hope that we get Kit's own story in the future, as it's a very ambiguous ending.

The novel itself is set out as a countdown to the party in part 1, with flashbacks of Mick and June's love story, and part 2 which is all about the party itself and the aftermath. In each I found parts that I loved. Mick and June's story, of how they met and how everything falls apart, was a perfect setting of the later scenes. It felt very 50's, with the comfortable glamour and style that I associate with Taylor Jenkins Reid. I also loved the party itself, where we see mini insights into the lives of the other guests and the utter chaos that rains down on them all. However, I do think that I didn't really feel transplanted into the 1980s in these scenes. Aside from a brief mention of some 80s music or fashion it never really felt like this was set in anything other than the present day. And to be honest, it probably wouldn't have mattered if it was. I also found the ending rather anticlimactic z and I don't think it quite delivered on its build up.

Engaging writing, loveable and complex characters, this is typical Taylor Jenkins Reid. I was just missing that dramatic conclusion that the writing implied was coming yet never arrived.

<i>Malibu Rising</i> is a family saga following the famous Riva siblings, mainly on the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party in her Malibu mansion in 1983. The events of the book take place in a day, weaved with several flashbacks of the Riva family’s history, and leads to Nina’s end-of-summer party.

I really enjoyed the first half of the story, where I got to know Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit in 1983 and through flashbacks. The Riva family’s story was compelling and heartbreaking to read at times, and I found myself relating to Nina, the eldest sibling, so much. My favourite element about this book was reading about the siblings’ dynamics; I love stories about big families, and Taylor Jenkins Reid portrayed those dynamics really well. I also really enjoyed that it was set in 1983 Malibu and that all characters were surfers, it was such a cool setting.

However, as we got closer to the events of the party, my interest in the story went downhill. After reading from the points of view of the Riva family in the first half, the author included the points of view of many party guests, to help get an overview of everything going on at the party. Unfortunately, the amount of points of view made for a disjointed reading experience, especially as I didn’t care about any of these points of view. As the story unfolded, every supposedly shocking event became more and more underwhelming, so I didn’t feel much when I got to the end of the story.

<b>Overall</b>, <i>Malibu Rising</i> was an enjoyable and quick read, though the first half was so much stronger than the second half, in my opinion. That being said, most readers will probably love it, and it’s definitely a great book to read during the summer!

I'll read anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid now and was excited to get started with Malibu Riding. While I didn't enjoy this quite as much as Daisy Jones & The Six or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I was still sucked into this world pretty quickly.

There really is something about the way Reid is able to draw you into the stories of such diverse and embellished characters and I love how, at least her recent works, focus on the lives of the rich, the famous, those both idolised and scrutinised in our society. Malibu Rising, like its predecessors, portrays even those with fame and fortune as relatable, flawed and endearing; even with the most flawed of characters Reid can have you feeling true empathy and sorrow for them. This is especially the case with the Riva family, of which you get to know so well; each with their own personalities, desires and faults, all so complex and differing but still authentic.

The plots were engaging, and considering the blurb tells of a fire and a party these were to me the least important of everything and I found, surprising myself, that I was more interested in the lives of the Riva family and its roots. I loved June's story, Kit's fight and Nina's strength. This story evolved around alcoholism and portrayed the ways in which this can present itself perfectly. The parts of Malibu Rising that depicted the children's realisation of their parent(s) addiction to alcohol were so precise and raw that I read and re-read them and had to take a moment to reflect: "It was the beginning of a lesson her children would learn by heart: Alcoholism is a disease with many faces, and some of them look beautiful."

There were however a few things that prevented me enjoying this as much as Reid's previous works. One was the fact that because I enjoyed the telling of June's story so much more than the present tense/party POV, I was initially not as engaged with chapters of the latter. Another was that I felt the last chapters were rushed, as was the ending: all of a sudden we were seeing things from a number of POVs, from characters we did not know, and I felt the lead up, the drawing out of a story of generations through the rest of the novel, ended so abruptly with one conversation.

Overall 4 stars - I would recommend and Taylor Jenkins Reid will continue to be an auto-read for me.

You have experienced the glitz and glamour of the lives of Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo, now immerse yourself in the story of singing sensation Mick Riva and his four children, Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit. We meet them on the day of Nina's legendary annual end of summer party, hosted in her mansion on the cliffs of Malibu. It may sound idealised, but we know from the start the party is destined to go up in flames.

The first half of the book acquaints us with the Riva family, both in the present day and flashing back to Mick and June's love story and the birth of their children. Jenkins Reid contrasts the fame and glamour of the sibling's present with Mick's horrific abandonment of his family time and again. The first half of the book unfolds in this way, prior to the party, allowing the reader to fully immerse themselves in the lives of the Rivas.. It certainly captured my interest and enjoyment.

It is the second half of the novel where it goes slightly off the boil - literally, with the out of control party, and figuratively. We follow the fates of the Riva siblings amongst snapshot insights into the psyche of various party guests, looking for sex, love and fame. These individual stories hold nuggets of fascination but dilute the reader's connection with the Rivas. It was unfortunate that the promise of the first half, and the prophetic opening foretelling the fire, never really paid off in the way Jenkins Reid has triumphed with her other novels.

Overall, an interesting narrative experiment with some dashes of insight. However, for Jenkins Reid's true mastery, stick to enjoying Daisy and Evelyn's stories instead. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As always, TJR shines through with her incredible characterisation and exploration of human nature. The story was expertly told in a dual timeline format, giving us even further background into the characters and their complex family ties, perfectly intertwining both plots. I was hooked from the first page, and flew through the book. Compelling beyond belief, I could not put it down! The past timeline was particularly moving, filled with the messy complexity of grief, heartbreak and betrayal, told with such skill that you felt like you were really seeing through a window into these peoples lives. It's only downfall for me was its ending which just.. fell a little flat. The story holds this sense of building drama, a spiral towards disaster. And then nothing really happens. My only wish it that the ending had been a little bit more flushed out and satisfying.

Ok where do I begin... as a huge TJR fan I was really excited for this release, and it didn’t disappoint. The storyline was really clever, and I LOVED the back and forth to different time periods. How does Taylor do it? Her books are some of the best storylines I’ve ever read.
I will say that the big cast of characters was hard to keep track of at times but wasn’t a huge problem.
As soon as I finished reading this I pre-ordered a special edition!!!
Everyone should give this a read whether you loved TSHOEH and DJATS or not. Jenkins writing is super clever, characterisation is like no other. A must read!!!!!

Taylor Jenkins Reid just knows how to write and to create characters that you care for so much, that you just have to know what’s going on in their lives. Her stories and characters are always so complex, no black and white.
I didn’t know what to expect from this one when I went in, but now I can tell it was kind of a weird story. One that I couldn’t stop reading!
It’s a bit of a slice of life, not really with a specific kind of plot, more like a family story.
It jumps back between the past and the present, between June and Mick, from when they first met, and that of their now adult children now in the 80s.
The way the story is told I just felt like I was right there, in Malibu, with the burning sun and the ocean. Right there in the described decade with the fitting background music playing. All of her books did that for me so far.

In the second part of the book the two stories kind of meet in the 1980s at an annual party Nina Riva is hosting. The last part got a bit confusing for me. All these new people were introduced, the party got quite out of hand and turning into a riot, I was starting to wonder what this is all about.
In the end it was still a family story. A story about an imperfect, dysfunctional, messy family, but in the end still a family.
My favourite parts to read were the ones about the present, the lives of the Riva children. But it was also so interesting to see how they got where they were right now and why they developed that way. They all have their packages to carry and they all carry a different one, they all have their own problems and secrets.
I love stories about siblings, especially big families and found families. I loved how it ended, with each of them figuring themselves out a little more, developing in different ways.
I can’t say this was the most thrilling story ever, but it just sucked me right in somehow and if you love family stories and character driven stories in general you will love this as well!

✨ She knew it was up to her to say what had to be said. To do what had to be done. When there is only you, you do not get to choose which jobs you want, you do not get to decide you are incapable of anything. ✨

There is something about the way that Taylor Jenkins Reid writes that completely draws you in. Malibu Rising is another novel where I was sucked in from the start. Jenkins Reid develops the characters so well that you can’t put it down.

This wasn’t my favourite Jenkins Reid novel, however I was heavily invested in the Riva family. I really felt for Nina, raising her brothers and sisters without any support and in the end she was fighting so many of her own demons trying to balance living her own life and providing for her family.

Also, Is Kit my spirit animal? I vibed with her personality a lot. When I was growing up I was often referred to as the “tomboy” and was also playing rugby with the boys in the backyard, so I kind of understand Kits vibe. Also, youngest child right here 🙋🏻‍♀️

Controversially, the last 20% didn’t really hook me in like Daisy Jones or Evelyn Hugo. Still a great read, as always, putting the reader right in the minds of the characters. Can someone take me to Malibu now?! Thanks 🙏🏼

This one is out 27th May!

#maliburising #taylorjenkinsreid #randomhouse #netgalley #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagramaustralia #bookstagrammer #booklover #bookclub #bookcommunity

I'm torn between 4 and 5 stars. I'm sitting here trying to decide but I clearly can't make decisions, so let's just get on with the review.

Before I get into what it's about, let me say that I am now hopelessly in love with TJR's writing. That's how I want to write someday. The whole book is written flawlessly, but that beginning? OMG, she had me at the prologue. I knew I was going to love it right then and there.

This is the first book of hers that I've read and I'm now officially making 2021 the year that I read all her other books that have been sitting on my TBR pile (aka Daisy Jones & The Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Maybe in Another Life).

Now, back to the topic at hand. Malibu Rising tells the story of the four Riva children, the story of their parents, the story of family bonds and, in some way, the story of fire. The book takes place over one single day of August 1983 but, as the day unfolds, we get flashback chapters on everything that came before, starting in 1956 when June Costas met Mick Riva.

This is a story of childhood and growing up, sometimes faster than you should; a story about the struggles of being a single parent, especially when the money is tight; a story about realizing you don't owe anything to people who hurt you or betray your trust, whoever that may be; a story about healthy relationships and toxic ones; and ultimately it's a story about Nina Riva, a strong as hell female character who will do whatever it takes because that's just how fiercely loyal she is.

I loved the relationship between the siblings, how they looked out for each other and how they each turned out to be after everything they went through. Anyone who reads this will love Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit in every possible way. Also, as a side note, I cried so be warned.

A massive thank you to NetGalley and Cornerstone (Random House UK) for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.